The Latest: Another symptom to watch out for

Alexandra Sifferlin

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Medium Coronavirus Blog

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Newsletter

3 min readAug 12, 2020

Dear Reader,

It’s becoming increasingly clear the virus that causes Covid-19 can impact most organs in the body. The thyroid gland, however, wasn’t on the list — until now. Emerging data now shows that some people with Covid-19 are experiencing strange thyroid hormone changes. Scientists are still understanding the effect, but it’s additional evidence that Covid-19 can be a full-body ordeal.

READ: The Coronavirus May Mess With Thyroid Levels, Too

Yet not everyone who gets Covid-19 reacts the same way. Some people don’t develop noticeable symptoms at all. Why people react in such different ways is considered one of the greatest mysteries of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. There’s many possible factors, and one that’s under consideration is “viral load,” or the amount of virus in a person’s body. It’s possible that people with more coronavirus have more severe infection or transmit the virus more effectively. Neither is known for certain for Covid-19, but as always, researchers are looking into it.

Here’s what’s new:

Case count: There are over 5.1 million confirmed cases in the U.S. and over 20 million confirmed cases worldwide. So far, more than 164,500 Americans have died from Covid-19.
Four people in New Zealand test positive for Covid-19: The cases ended the country’s 102-day streak without any locally transmitted cases of the virus, and it is now under lockdown. Read how New Zealand is handling a new outbreak.
Russia becomes the first country to approve a Covid-19 vaccine, but questions remain. Experts are questioning the process since the vaccine did not undergo phase 3 trials. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the vaccine “works effectively enough”. 🤔 Read more.

Follow our Medium Coronavirus Blog for regular updates, and read some of the essential stories we’ve curated below.

Be well,

Alexandra Sifferlin
Editor, Medium Coronavirus Blog

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A quick Q&A: Is it safe to go to the pool?

So far, there’s no evidence the virus that causes Covid-19 spreads through the water. This is in part because chlorine kills SARS-CoV-2 and also keeps viral particles from floating around the pool. But like any social activity outside the home, a crowded public pool will not be risk-free, so be sure to keep your distance, wear a mask when you can’t, and consider waiting for that post-swim shower until you get home. Read more here.